U.S. patent application number 15/369032 was filed with the patent office on 2018-05-31 for coil structure for inductive and resonant wireless charging transmitter and integral control method for the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to KOREA AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE. The applicant listed for this patent is KOREA AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE. Invention is credited to DuHo Lee, KyuBong Yeon.
Application Number | 20180152040 15/369032 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62191227 |
Filed Date | 2018-05-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180152040 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yeon; KyuBong ; et
al. |
May 31, 2018 |
COIL STRUCTURE FOR INDUCTIVE AND RESONANT WIRELESS CHARGING
TRANSMITTER AND INTEGRAL CONTROL METHOD FOR THE SAME
Abstract
Provided is a wireless power transmitter including a first coil
disposed to transmit wireless power, a second coil disposed outside
of the first coil to transmit wireless power, and a controller
configured to determine whether to operate the wireless power
transmitter in a magnetic induction mode or a magnetic resonance
mode, control the first coil to operate in the magnetic induction
mode and prevent the second coil from operating in the magnetic
induction mode in response to the determination to operate the
wireless power transmitter in the magnetic induction mode, and
control the first coil and the second coil to operate integrally in
the magnetic resonance mode in response to the determination to
operate the wireless power transmitter in the magnetic resonance
mode.
Inventors: |
Yeon; KyuBong; (Seoul,
KR) ; Lee; DuHo; (Asan-si, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KOREA AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE |
Cheonan-si |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
KOREA AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY
INSTITUTE
Cheonan-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
62191227 |
Appl. No.: |
15/369032 |
Filed: |
December 5, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02J 7/027 20130101;
H02J 7/025 20130101; H02J 50/12 20160201; H02J 50/10 20160201; H02J
2310/48 20200101; H02J 7/1461 20130101; H02J 7/0044 20130101; H02J
50/60 20160201; B60L 53/00 20190201; B60L 53/12 20190201; B60L
53/60 20190201 |
International
Class: |
H02J 7/02 20060101
H02J007/02; H02J 50/12 20060101 H02J050/12; H02J 7/14 20060101
H02J007/14; H02J 50/60 20060101 H02J050/60 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 29, 2016 |
KR |
10-2016-0160063 |
Claims
1. A wireless power transmitter, comprising: a first coil disposed
to transmit wireless power; a second coil disposed outside of the
first coil to transmit wireless power; and a controller configured
to: determine whether to operate the wireless power transmitter in
a magnetic induction mode or a magnetic resonance mode; control the
first coil to operate in the magnetic induction mode and prevent
the second coil from operating in the magnetic induction mode in
response to the determination to operate the wireless power
transmitter in the magnetic induction mode; and control the first
coil and the second coil to operate integrally in the magnetic
resonance mode in response to the determination to operate the
wireless power transmitter in the magnetic resonance mode.
2. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein the first
coil and the second coil are configured to operate as magnetic
resonance coils in the magnetic resonance mode.
3. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, further comprising:
an electro-band gap (EBG) structure disposed to enclose an outside
of the second coil to improve a transmission efficiency.
4. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein the first
coil is wound in a circular shape, and the second coil is wound in
a rectangular shape.
5. A wireless power transmitter, comprising: a substrate of which
at least a portion has a curved surface; a first coil disposed on
the substrate to transmit wireless power; a second coil wound along
the curved surface of the substrate at a position spaced apart from
the first coil to transmit wireless power, the second coil having a
greater diameter than the first coil; and a controller configured
to: determine whether to operate the wireless power transmitter in
a magnetic induction mode or a magnetic resonance mode; control the
first coil to operate in the magnetic induction mode and prevent
the second coil from operating in the magnetic induction mode in
response to the determination to operate the wireless power
transmitter in the magnetic induction mode; and control the first
coil and the second coil to operate integrally in the magnetic
resonance mode in response to the determination to operate the
wireless power transmitter in the magnetic resonance mode.
6. The wireless power transmitter of claim 5, wherein the first
coil and the second coil are configured to operate as magnetic
resonance coils in the magnetic resonance mode.
7. The wireless power transmitter of claim 5, wherein both the
first coil and the second coil are wound in circular shapes.
8. A method of transmitting wireless power in a vehicle, the method
comprising: detecting at least one terminal capable of receiving
wireless power in the vehicle and determining whether each detected
terminal supports magnetic resonant wireless power reception or
magnetic inductive wireless power reception; providing magnetic
inductive wireless power transmission to the terminal by turning on
a first coil disposed to transmit wireless power and turning off a
second coil disposed outside of the first coil in response to
determination that a magnetic induction mode is needed; and
providing magnetic resonant wireless power transmission to the
terminal by integrally operating the first coil and the second coil
in response to determination that a magnetic resonance mode is
needed.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: determining that the
magnetic resonance mode is needed in a case in which interference
occurs between an operating frequency of the first coil and a
frequency used by an electronic device in the vehicle.
10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: providing an alarm
associated with charging state information of the terminal.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the charging state information
of the terminal comprises at least one of whether charging is being
performed, a charging condition, or whether a foreign object is
detected.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2016-0160063 filed on Nov. 29, 2016, the entire
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
1. Field
[0002] One or more example embodiments relate to an inductive and
resonant wireless charging transmitter and a control method for the
same, and more particularly, to technology that implements a coil
structure in which an induction coil and a resonance coil of a
wireless charging transmitter are integrated and an integral
control method for the same.
2. Description of Related Art
[0003] Wireless charging or wireless power transmission and
reception technology is technology that charges a battery by
transmitting electric energy without wires. In general, an
electromagnetic field is used to transmit electric energy. Current
wireless charging technology charges a battery using a transmitter
and a receiver through induction of an electromagnetic field.
[0004] Wireless charging technology is divided into magnetic
inductive charging and magnetic resonant charging by transmission
schemes. The magnetic inductive charging is a contact-type wireless
charging technology that transmits power of few watts (W) and few
kilowatts (kW) at a close distance within at most few centimeters
(cm) using electromagnetic induction between a primary coil and a
secondary coil, and has a relatively high transmission efficiency
at a short distance. The magnetic resonant charging is a
short-distance wireless charging technology that transmits power at
a close distance of tens of cm using resonance between a primary
coil and a secondary coil. The magnetic resonant charging may have
advantages of transmitting power at a relatively great distance
when compared to the magnetic inductive charging, having a certain
degree of freedom with respect to an alignment between the coils,
and charging multiple products simultaneously. However, the
magnetic resonant charging has a disadvantage of low transmission
efficiency when compared to the magnetic inductive charging.
[0005] To overcome the disadvantage of inductive wireless charging
which is applied to low-power mobile devices such as smart phones,
a need for an integral wireless charging transmitter that may
provide both the magnetic inductive charging and the magnetic
resonant charging is increasing.
SUMMARY
[0006] An aspect provides an inductive and resonant wireless
charging transmitter and a control method for the same that may
support both an induction type terminal and a resonance type
terminal, and utilize a high charging efficiency of inductive
charging and a convenience of resonant charging.
[0007] Another aspect also provides a structure in which an
induction coil and a resonance coil are integrated that may
increase a charging efficiency by operating both the coils as
resonance coils for resonant charging.
[0008] Another aspect also provides an inductive and resonant
wireless charging transmitter and a wireless power transmitting
method that may increase a user convenience in a restricted space
and a moving environment such as a vehicle.
[0009] The technical tasks obtainable from the present disclosure
are non-limited by the above-mentioned technical tasks. And, other
unmentioned technical tasks can be clearly understood from the
following description by those having ordinary skill in the
technical field to which the present disclosure pertains.
[0010] According to an aspect, there is provided a wireless power
transmitter including a first coil disposed to transmit wireless
power, a second coil disposed outside of the first coil to transmit
wireless power, and a controller configured to determine whether to
operate the wireless power transmitter in a magnetic induction mode
or a magnetic resonance mode, control the first coil to operate in
the magnetic induction mode and prevent the second coil from
operating in the magnetic induction mode in response to the
determination to operate the wireless power transmitter in the
magnetic induction mode, and to control the first coil and the
second coil to operate integrally in the magnetic resonance mode in
response to the determination to operate the wireless power
transmitter in the magnetic resonance mode.
[0011] The first coil and the second coil may be configured to
operate as magnetic resonance coils in the magnetic resonance mode.
The wireless power transmitter may further include an electro-band
gap (EBG) structure disposed to enclose an outside of the second
coil to improve a transmission efficiency. The first coil may be
wound in a circular shape, and the second coil may be wound in a
rectangular shape.
[0012] According to another aspect, there is also provided a
wireless power transmitter including a substrate of which at least
a portion has a curved surface, a first coil disposed on the
substrate to transmit wireless power, a second coil wound along the
curved surface of the substrate at a position spaced apart from the
first coil to transmit wireless power, the second coil having a
greater diameter than the first coil, and a controller configured
to determine whether to operate the wireless power transmitter in a
magnetic induction mode or a magnetic resonance mode, control the
first coil to operate in the magnetic induction mode and prevent
the second coil from operating in the magnetic induction mode in
response to the determination to operate the wireless power
transmitter in the magnetic induction mode, and to control the
first coil and the second coil to operate integrally in the
magnetic resonance mode in response to the determination to operate
the wireless power transmitter in the magnetic resonance mode.
[0013] The first coil and the second coil may be configured to
operate as magnetic resonance coils in the magnetic resonance mode.
Both the first coil and the second coil may be wound in circular
shapes.
[0014] According to still another aspect, there is also provided a
method of transmitting wireless power in a vehicle, the method
including detecting at least one terminal capable of receiving
wireless power in the vehicle and determining whether each detected
terminal supports magnetic resonant wireless power reception or
magnetic inductive wireless power reception, providing magnetic
inductive wireless power transmission by turning on a first coil
disposed to transmit wireless power and turning off a second coil
disposed outside of the first coil in response to determination
that a magnetic induction mode is needed, and providing magnetic
resonant wireless power transmission to the terminal by integrally
operating the first coil and the second coil in response to
determination that a magnetic resonance mode is needed.
[0015] The method may further include determining that the magnetic
resonance mode is needed in a case in which interference occurs
between an operating frequency of the first coil and a frequency
used by an electronic device in the vehicle. The method may further
include providing an alarm associated with charging state
information of the terminal. The charging state information of the
terminal may include at least one of whether charging is being
performed, a charging condition, or whether a foreign object is
detected.
[0016] Additional aspects of example embodiments will be set forth
in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be
apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the
disclosure.
Effects
[0017] According to an example embodiment, an inductive and
resonant wireless charging transmitter and a control method for the
same may support both an induction type terminal and a resonance
type terminal, and utilize a high charging efficiency of inductive
charging and a convenience of resonant charging.
[0018] According to an example embodiment, a structure in which an
induction coil and a resonance coil are integrated may increase a
charging efficiency by operating both the coils as resonance coils
for resonant charging.
[0019] According to an example embodiment, an inductive and
resonant wireless charging transmitter and a wireless power
transmitting method may increase a user convenience in a restricted
space and a moving environment such as a vehicle.
[0020] The effects obtainable from the present disclosure are
non-limited by the above-mentioned effects. And, other unmentioned
effects can be clearly understood from the following description by
those having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the
present disclosure pertains.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] These and/or other aspects, features, and advantages of the
disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from
the following description of example embodiments, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0022] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an inductive and resonant
wireless power transmission system according to an example
embodiment;
[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates a structure of a coil portion of an
inductive and resonant wireless charging transmitter according to
an example embodiment;
[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates a structure of a curved wireless power
transmitter according to an example embodiment;
[0025] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an inductive and resonant
wireless power transmission method for a vehicle according to an
example embodiment; and
[0026] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an inductive and resonant
wireless power transmission method for a vehicle to avoid frequency
interference according to an example embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
example embodiments are shown. However, those skilled in the art
would realize that described example embodiments may be modified in
various different ways, all without departing from the sprit or
scope of the present disclosure.
[0028] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be
limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms
"a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as
well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be
further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising,"
when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components,
but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or
groups thereof.
[0029] Hereinafter, the example embodiments will be described in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The
configuration and operation effects of the present disclosure will
be clearly understood from the following detailed description.
[0030] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an inductive and resonant
wireless power transmission system according to an example
embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the wireless power transmission
system may include a wireless charging apparatus which is a
wireless power transmitter 100 configured to transmit wireless
power, and a charging terminal 200 which is a wireless power
receiver configured to receive wireless power.
[0031] The wireless power transmitter 100 may include a power
supply 110, a power sensor 120, a coil portion 130, and a
controller 140, and may further include various other components
necessary for transmitting wireless power. The wireless power
transmitter 100 may communicate with the charging terminal 200. For
example, the wireless power transmitter 100 may perform in-band
communication using a magnetic field channel which is an operating
frequency band for wireless charging in an induction mode, and
perform out-of-band communication using the industrial, scientific
and medical (ISM) band which is a frequency band higher than the
operating frequency of inductive charging, for example, using
Bluetooth low energy (LE) of 2.4 gigahertz (GHz). However, the
communication methods are not limited thereto. Further, the
operating frequency band for wireless power transmission may vary
with a wireless charging standard and an induction or resonance
scheme.
[0032] The power supply 110 of the wireless power transmitter 100
may provide power. The power provided from the power supply 110 may
be finally converted into a wireless power signal at the coil
portion 130 and transmitted to the charging terminal 200. Here, the
wireless power signal may have a form of magnetic field or
electromagnetic field generated at the coil portion 130. Further,
although not shown in FIG. 1, the wireless power transmitter 100
may further include an inverter configured to convert a direct
current provided from the power supply 110 into an alternating
current.
[0033] The power sensor 120 of the wireless power transmitter 100
may measure, sense and monitor a value of current or voltage
flowing through the coil portion 130. The power sensor 120 may
determine whether the value of current or voltage measured at the
coil portion 130 based on a value of current or voltage supplied
from the power supply 110 exceeds a threshold value. In a case of
malfunction such as foreign object detection (FOD), power supplied
from the power sensor 120 may be blocked through the controller
140. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the wireless power transmitter
100 may further include an impedance matching circuit configured to
adjust an impedance for frequency resonance for resonant wireless
power transmission. An impedance matching operation of the
impedance matching circuit may be controlled by the controller
140.
[0034] The coil portion 130 of the wireless power transmitter 100
may generate a wireless power signal in a form of magnetic field or
electromagnetic field based on a change in current applied thereto.
The coil portion 130 may include a plurality of coils, for example,
a first coil 131 and a second coil 132 as shown in FIG. 1. The
first coil 131 may have a structure of an induction coil for
magnetic inductive transmission, and the second coil 132 may have a
structure of a resonance coil for magnetic resonant transmission.
Further, the first coil 131 and the second coil 132 may be
integrally controlled by the controller 140. Thus, the controller
140 may control the first coil 131 which is the induction coil to
operate and the second coil 132 which is the resonance coil to not
operate for magnetic inductive transmission, and may control the
first coil 131 and the second coil 132 to operate integrally as
resonance coils for magnetic resonant transmission. The operation
of integrally controlling the coil portion 130 will be described
further with reference to FIG. 2.
[0035] FIG. 2 illustrates a structure of the coil portion 130 of
the inductive and resonant wireless charging transmitter 100
according to an example embodiment. The coil portion 130 may
include the first coil 131 wound at a center thereof, the second
coil 132 wound outside of the first coil 131, and an electro-band
gap (EBG) structure 133 disposed outside of the second coil
132.
[0036] The first coil 131 may have a circular shape which is the
same as that of a widely used inductive wireless charging coil, and
the second coil 132 may have a rectangular shape which is the same
as that of a widely used resonant wireless charging coil. The
second coil 132 may be disclosed outside of the first coil 131 to
be spaced apart from the first coil 131. The first coil 131 and the
second coil 132 may be implemented in various forms, for example, a
planar spiral form or a cylindrical solenoid form. However, example
embodiments are not limited thereto.
[0037] The coil portion 130 may provide two types of wireless power
transmission, inductive wireless power transmission and resonant
wireless power transmission, through integral control of the first
coil 131 and the second coil 132. Thus, the coil portion 130 may
support both a terminal supporting the inductive wireless power
transmission and a terminal supporting the resonant wireless power
transmission, and utilize a high charging efficiency of the
inductive wireless power transmission and a convenience of the
resonant wireless power transmission. In particular, the coil
portion 130 may allow, through a control operation of the
controller 140, the first coil 131 to operate and the second coil
132 to not operate in a magnetic induction mode, thereby achieving
a high charging efficiency in a case of the induction mode.
Further, the coil portion 130 may integrally control, through the
controller 140, the first coil 131 disposed at the center and the
second coil 132 disposed outside of the first coil 131 in a
magnetic resonance mode, thereby using the first coil 131 and the
second coil 132 as resonance coils for the resonant wireless power
transmission.
[0038] Although FIG. 2 illustrates the first coil 131 as a single
circular coil, the first coil 131 may include a plurality of coils
for inductive charging, for example, at least two or three circular
coils. As a greater number of circular coils are provided, an area
of the coils may increase and thus, a charging range and a charging
efficiency may increase as well.
[0039] Based on the integral control method, charging through the
first coil 131 of the wireless power transmitter 100 may be
performed when a receiver that supports the inductive wireless
power transmission is at a charging position, that is, a central
portion of the wireless power transmitter 100 at which the first
coil 131 is disposed. Further, in a case in which a resonance type
receiver is disposed at the central position, by integrally
operating the first coil 131 disposed at the center and the second
coil 132 disposed outside of the first coil 131 as resonance coils,
a disadvantage of a relatively low electric field formed at an
intra-central portion when wireless power is transmitted only using
the second coil 132 may be overcome. Accordingly, by increasing an
absolute area of the entire resonance coil in the magnetic
resonance mode, the transmission efficiency may increase, and a
disadvantage of a relatively low charging efficiency at a central
portion of a charger may be overcome.
[0040] Referring to FIG. 2, the EBG structure 133 may be disposed
outside of the first coil 131 and the second coil 132, such that a
radiation pattern may be concentrated in a transmission direction,
whereby the overall charging efficiency may increase and the
disadvantage of the relatively low charging efficiency of the
resonant wireless power transmission, when compared to the
inductive wireless power transmission, may be overcome.
[0041] The EBG structure 133 is a structure in which a unit cell
structure having a predetermined shape is repeated periodically.
The EBG structure 133 may have a structure with a
frequency-selective characteristic by arranging two materials
having different dielectric constants repetitively at predetermined
intervals, and changing a wave impedance periodically, and may have
a band stop characteristic that blocks an electromagnetic wave in a
predetermined frequency band. The EBG structure 133 may be applied
to a coil antenna for wireless power transmission and used as a
substrate in which the antenna is disposed. In a case in which the
EBG structure 133 is used as the substrate of the antenna, a
surface wave generated when a high-permittivity substrate is used
may decrease, and thus a radiation characteristic and a gain of the
antenna may improve. For example, the EBG structure 133 may be
configured using a radiation source and a Fabry-Perot cavity
including a ground plane and a cover layer that acts as a partial
reflecting surface.
[0042] FIG. 3 illustrates a structure of a curved wireless power
transmitter according to an example embodiment. Referring to FIG.
3, when a wireless power receiver 320, for example, at least a
portion of a charging terminal such as a smart phone, is placed in
a wireless power transmitter 310 having a curved portion 312,
wireless power transmission may be performed.
[0043] The curved wireless power transmitter 310 may include the
curved portion 312 on a side thereof, and a planar portion 311 on a
bottom thereof. A first coil 331 disposed in a circular shape on
the planar portion 311 and a second coil 332 wound in a circular
shape along the curved portion 312 may be spaced apart from each
other. Thus, when viewing the wireless power transmitter 310 having
the curved portion 312 from the front, the second coil 332 wound
along the curved portion 312 may be disposed at a higher position
than the first coil 331 disposed on the planar portion 311.
[0044] The first coil 331 and the second coil 332 of the wireless
power transmitter 310 may be integrally controlled through the
controller 140. For example, when the curved wireless power
transmitter 310 operates in a magnetic induction mode, the
controller 140 may control only the first coil 331 on the planar
portion 311 to operate as an induction coil and the second coil 132
to not operate. Further, in a case in which the wireless power
transmitter 310 operates in a magnetic resonance mode, the
controller 140 may integrally control the first coil 331 on the
planar portion 311 and the second coil 332 wound along the curved
portion 312, thereby using the first coil 331 and the second coil
332 as resonance coils for resonant wireless power
transmission.
[0045] Accordingly, in a case in which inductive charging is
available when the wireless power receiver 320 is placed on the
planar portion 311, the wireless power transmitter 310 may operate
in the induction mode. In a case in which resonant charging is
available, both the first coil 331 and the second coil 332 may
operate as resonance coils, whereby resonant charging may be
provided. As described above, by disposing a resonance coil which
is the second coil 332 along a curved surface, a heat radiation
characteristic may improve and the receiver may be arranged at a
position within an allowable range, in addition to the advantage of
the integral coil structure of FIG. 2. Further, through the curved
structure, a charging space may be provided regardless of a size of
a terminal, and an inductive and resonant transmitter which is
relatively free from an alignment constraint of a terminal in a
restricted and moving space, for example, in a vehicle, may be
provided.
[0046] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an inductive and resonant
wireless power transmission method for a vehicle according to an
example embodiment.
[0047] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation 410, the wireless power
transmitter 100 may detect at least one charging terminal capable
of receiving wireless power in a vehicle. In operation 420, the
wireless power transmitter 100 may determine whether each detected
terminal supports magnetic resonant wireless power reception or
magnetic inductive wireless power reception, and obtain and
determine information related to wireless charging capability of
each terminal through communication with the terminal.
[0048] In operation 430, in response to determination that a
magnetic induction mode is needed, the wireless power transmitter
100 may perform inductive charging by initiating the magnetic
induction mode. For example, in response to determination that
inductive charging is available to the charging terminal 200
through a magnetic field communication when the charging terminal
200 is placed on an induction coil, the wireless power transmitter
100 may provide wireless power transmission through the induction
coil in the magnetic induction mode.
[0049] In operation 440, in response to determination that a
magnetic resonance mode is needed as the magnetic induction mode is
unavailable, the wireless power transmitter 100 may perform
resonant charging by initiating the magnetic resonance mode. For
example, in a case in which the charging terminal 200 supports only
resonant charging and does not support inductive charging, in a
case in which only resonant charging is available in a current
position or environment of the charging terminal 200 although the
charging terminal 200 supports both inductive charging and resonant
charging, or in a case in which a plurality of charging terminals
200 need to be charged, the wireless power transmitter 100 may
determine that the magnetic resonance mode is needed and operate
resonance coils. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in a case in which the
first coil and the second coil are integrally operable as resonance
coils, a charging efficiency may increase by using both the coils
as resonance coils in the magnetic resonance mode.
[0050] In operation 450, the wireless power transmitter 100 may
continuously monitor state information of the charging terminal
200. For example, the state information of the charging terminal
200 may be associated with at least one of whether charging is
being performed, a charging condition, or whether a foreign object
is detected. However, example embodiments are not limited thereto.
The wireless power transmitter 100 may further provide an alarm
associated with charging state information of the charging terminal
200. For example, when a foreign object is detected, the wireless
power transmitter 100 may provide a user with a warning alarm using
at least one of a sound or an image.
[0051] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an inductive and resonant
wireless power transmission method for a vehicle to avoid frequency
interference according to an example embodiment.
[0052] Referring to FIG. 5, in operation 510, the wireless power
transmitter 100 may detect at least one terminal capable of
receiving wireless power in a vehicle. The wireless power
transmitter 100 may obtain and determine information related to
wireless charging capability of each terminal through communication
with the terminal.
[0053] In operation 520, the wireless power transmitter 100 may
determine whether there is interference between an operating
frequency of wireless charging and a frequency used by another
electronic device in the vehicle. For example, the wireless power
transmitter 100 may receive information regarding whether an
electronic device such as a smart key is present from an electronic
system of the vehicle, or determine whether a smart key is present
by receiving a signal from the smart key. In this example, the
wireless power transmitter 100 may determine that frequency
interference occurs since an operating frequency band of an
induction coil for inductive charging, for example, a band from 110
kilohertz (KHz) to 205 KHz, overlaps an operating frequency band of
the smart key, for example, 125 KHz.
[0054] In operation 530, in response to determination that
frequency interference occurs in the frequency band of inductive
charging, the wireless power transmitter 100 may initiate a
magnetic resonance mode. Since when compared to inductive charging,
resonant charging uses a relatively high frequency band, for
example, 6.78 megahertz (MHz), frequency interference with an
electronic device such as the smart key may not occur. Thus, in a
case in which there is a risk of frequency interference with
another electronic device, a possibility of frequency interference
may be eliminated by initiating the magnetic resonance mode as
default.
[0055] In operation 540, the wireless power transmitter 100 may
continuously monitor state information of the charging terminal
200. The wireless power transmitter 100 may further provide an
alarm associated with charging state information. For example, in
response to determination that a risk of frequency interference
occurs, the wireless power transmitter 100 may provide a user with
a warning alarm using at least one of a sound or an image.
[0056] The operation of initiating the magnetic resonance mode may
avoid frequency interference with various types of electronic
devices provided in the vehicle, thereby reducing a risk of
accident caused by malfunction of the vehicle.
[0057] A number of example embodiments have been described above.
Nevertheless, it should be understood that various modifications
may be made to these example embodiments. For example, suitable
results may be achieved if the described techniques are performed
in a different order and/or if components in a described system,
architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different manner
and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their
equivalents. Accordingly, other implementations are within the
scope of the following claims.
* * * * *